What is this card I have?

Welcome TEDx organizer to the Human Experience Design Project. This is a concept I came up with a few years ago to get people to get out of their shell, and to take action to think and act like a TEDx organizer. The goal of this concept is to get other TEDx organizers, like you, to use this concept at your own event. I've found great success with the cards to get people to see things differently and act outside their comfort zone, and make new friends in the process. I'snt that what being a TEDx organizer is all about?

Sartaj "Ego Monk" at TED Global has an "ajabu" card. Its the Swahili word for "wonderful". Go create some wonder!

How Does it work?

Simple. You received a card somehow. In this case your card is one of 35 different ones. The fronts are the same, but the backs are different. The back has one key word, or "element". Your goal is to do "anything", for yourself, or for someone else that uses that word. Its a provocation to get out of your comfort zone, and to intentionally create an experience. It can be simple, complex, it doesn't matter, what matters is that you do _something_.

To often we are living life in our "default" mode of doing and thinking. We go day to day doing the same thing, often without even realizing it. The Human Experience Design Project Cards help fix that by giving you a kick in the pants and some inspiration on getting out of that mode.

The cards are very subjective, and very open to interpretation. That's what makes them beautiful. If I read the word "wonder", and created wonder for someone, it may be completely different from someone else's idea of what creating wonder is. Whats important is that the receiver of the card was inspired to take an action that they normally wouldn't of. And the word "wonder" means something to them.

What in it for my TEDx event?

I want you to copy/steal/share this concept at your own event. Its easy, its cheap, and the stories I hear from people are really amazing. I've done this at the TED Summit, TED Global, TED Fest and other TEDx events with great success. You should try this at your event.

Email me at zards@labz.io and I can send you the master Adobe Photoshop file. Its "Attribution-Noncommercial-ShareAlike 4.0 International" under creative commons. You can use it to print and modify your own cards. If you don't want the hassle of doing this yourself, email me and Ill design and print your own custom cards you if you wish (for a fee).

All I ask is that if you use these and someone wants to know more about them, send them my way. This is one of my tools I use for getting people to engage. It works well in the corporate environment where my company does culture and engagement work.

A duo card approach

Another concept of this card that works really well for a TEDx event is the duo. There are two sets of cards. All your attendees get a random card, and the goal is to find the opposite card, and put your card together with your new friend, and create something together. This was used at TEDxPeachtree by handing out I "Peach" cards, and II "Tree" cards. Your goal was to find a stranger with the opposite card, create an en experience, and then share what you did at a specific station, where you would write down what happened on a sheet of paper and hang it on an art installation. The cards tuned into great ice breakers, with strangers really connecting on authentic and emotional levels.

In the TEDxPeachtree example I had 8 different "Peach" cards, and 8 different "Tree" cards, which enabled 64 different combinations to create new experiences.

This concept has also involved into a master tool-set on building authentic human enagement, contact me and I can tell you more. If you have any questions, click on the button to email me and I'll do what I can to help.

If you work for an organization(or know one) that could use some culture change, and see a use for a simple tool to get people to authentically engage, lets talk.